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Taphrospilus (1 Viewer)

Taphrospilus

Taphrospilus

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In "Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird" page 379 is written about Taphrospilus:

Taphrospilus Gr. tarphus close, dense; spilos spot.

The question is if tarphus is realy the origin. Maybe Ditch, ταφρος (taphros) is the etymological origin, referring to the habitat where the type species was found?
 
More likely Taphrospilus is in error for Tephrospilus, alluding to the grey tipped tail of the Many-spotted Hummingbird, or perceived colour of the spotted underparts in a dead specimen (Gr. tephros ash-coloured < tephra ashes) (cf. genus Taphrolesbia).
 
So how do you come to this conclusion? I ask as the r is definetly in different places in both words Taphrospilus versus tarphus
 
Taphrospilus Simon, 1910, Revue Francaise d'Ornithologie, 1, p. 261, is undoubtedly a misspelling, but whether for Tarphospilus or Tephrospilus must remain a mystery since the author gave a diagnosis but no etymology. He later (1918, Notice sur les Travaux Scientifiques, p. 38) spelled it Taphropsilus (per Peters, V, p. 60, footnote 2).
 
Tephrolesbia Eugene Simon, Revue Francaise d’Orn., VI No 120 April 7, 1919 Emendation of Taphrolesbia Simon 1918.
Tephropsilus E. Simon Hist. Nat. Trochilidae 1921 emendation of Taphrospilus Simon 1910. He says “Ecrit Taphropsilus par suite d’un lapsus.” However it was originally written Taphropilus and not Taphropsilus. The spelling Taphropsilus occurs in his Notice sur les Travaux Scientifique 1918 p. 38.
Generic names applied to birds during the years 1906 to 1915 inclusive with additions and corrections to Waterhouse’s Index generum Avium. By Charles W. Richmond.
The Code .
32.5. Spellings that must be corrected (incorrect original spellings).
32.5.1. If there is in the original publication itself, without recourse to any external source of information, clear evidence of an inadvertent error, such as a lapsus calami or a copyist's or printer's error, it must be corrected. Incorrect transliteration or latinization, or use of an inappropriate connecting vowel, are not to be considered inadvertent errors.
That he changed the two names from Taphro to Tephro must count for something. I am not sure his calling it a lapsus triggers anything in 32.5.1.
 
In my MS I have:
"leocadiae Female eponym; dedication not given (Bourcier & Mulsant 1852, Ann. Sci. Phys. Nat. Agric. Ind. Soc. Royale Agric. Ind. Lyon, sér. 2, 4, 141)) ?Leocadia Weiss née Zorrilla (b. 1790- fl. 1860), maid, companion and lover to the artist Goya (subsp. Heliomaster constantii)."
 
In the original description Boucier and Mulsant name a few birds and almost all of them have a dedication explaining who they were named for. But T. leocadiae has no dedication. I have found a 1915 book in Spanish that says Leocadia was the name of Boucier's wife. (Was she Ecuadorean?) Bourcier was the French consul to Ecuador from 1849 to 1850.
http://books.google.com/books?ei=wV...Bourcier&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=Leocadia+ .
 
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I am constantly stunned by the amount of information that is out there, and the dedication of our select band of BirdForum members! I also found quite a detailed life of Bourcier on a German website, and have amended my MS to;
"leocadiae Leocadia Bourcier (fl. 1850) wife of C. M. Jules Bourcier, French Consul-Gen. to Ecuador 1849-1850, and collector specialising in hummingbirds (subsp. Heliomaster constantii)."
 
Leocadia or Léocadie?

Just speculating ... if so, I would guess her name to be: Léocadie, like in the French Name, used by Martial Étienne Mulsant himself in 1876, on he Humming-bird; "L'Héliomastre de Léocadie". See link: Histoire naturelle des oiseaux-mouches, ou, Colibris constituant la famille des trochilidés II

Good luck in any future research!

PS. On the other hand: Diccionario de los nombres de las aves de Colombia 2011 states that Jules Bourciers wife was named Aline!? Commemorated in Emerald-bellied Puffleg Eriocnemis alinae described by Bourcier himself 1842, whom ought to know!?

Well I don´t know ...
 
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As already mentioned about Aline see http://reader.digitale-sammlungen.d...sb10499769_00430.html?zoom=0.6500000000000001 "Dédié à mon épouse." That means Aline and Léocadie would be nearly at the same time the wife of Bourcier. I can't believe it and don't know where the information in Boletín de la Dirección de estudios biológicos, Vol 1, 1915, p. 87 came from. I have some doubts. Léocadie might be a child from Mulsant or Bourcier. Who knows that there is a relation to Bourcier and not to Mulsant?
 
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In 1816 Étienne Mulsant seem to have married his cousin Julie Ronchivole (15 years old at the time!) ... but what happened after that I don´t know.

They supposedly had at least six (name-less, to my knowledge) children.
 
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Well found, "Taphrospilus"!

"At least six" ... is easy ... was seven!

And clearly none was named Leocadia or Léocadie! I tend to think it might be a toponym ... though I haven´t checked this matter any deeper, and I will not do so (at least not in a forseeable future), I just happened to notice, and stumble upon, into, this thread ...

Though I would think it could be worth the effort to compare the names of the Mulsant kids with the many odd eponyms coined by Mulsant and Bourcier, in for example that four-volume Histoire naturelle des oiseaux-mouches, ou, Colibris constituant la famille des trochilidés (earlier this thread).

I get the feeling this might be the solution of some other hidden, shady eponyms!? Or not?

If anyone feel up to it, it´s a tricky task - Good luck!

On my behalf: Leocadiae ... Goodbye!
 
Here in year 1861 Bourciers wife Benoîte-Aline-Jusserand http://books.google.de/books?id=2fLkjc4uAb8C&pg=PA1004#v=onepage&q&f=false registered a patent. (See 1535) Here http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/48710#page/477/mode/1up you can see that Bourcier lived in the same house. If you search Bourcier here http://www.fondsenligne.archives-ly...HPSID=8a8211eaa5196c9b25dfb6cbf294b754&mode=3 you will see he married her 20/10/1820. So they have been married for at least 41 year. I have more and more doubts that ''leocadiae'' is Bourciers wife as mentioned in Rodolfo Alvarado: Los colibríes mexicanos. In: Boletin de la Direccion de Estudios Biologicos. Vol. 1, No. 1,1915, p. 87.
 
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